Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nakyoung: "New Government Launch Can Be an Opportunity for Gyeongju, Not a Crisis"

Emphasis at the City Hall Executives' Meeting

On the morning of June 9, at the National Local Headquarters Directors' Meeting held in the city hall video conference room, Gyeongju City Mayor Joo Nakyoung emphasized, "Each department must respond strategically so that the inauguration of the new government becomes not a crisis but an opportunity for Gyeongju to leap forward."

Mayor Joo stated, "After the declaration of martial law on December 3 last year, a new government chosen by the people has been inaugurated amid unstable circumstances," and added, "I hope the recent turmoil will be resolved quickly and that the country will move toward stability and recovery."

Joo Nakyoung, mayor of Gyeongju City, is speaking about Gyeongju City's response direction following the inauguration of the new government at the National Local Headquarters Directors' Meeting held in the city hall video conference room on the morning of the 9th.

He continued, "Regardless of the support tendency in the TK region, rather than vague concerns about the new government's launch, a realistic response is needed," and explained, "Similar concerns were raised when the Kim Daejung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations were inaugurated in the past, but in the end, those fears proved unfounded."

Mayor Joo stressed to senior officials, "Now is the time to accurately understand the policy direction of the new government and align ourselves with that trend?this is the way for Gyeongju to achieve even greater growth," urging them to strengthen their policy response capabilities.

He further noted, "The new government's policy pledges include supporting the successful hosting of the APEC Summit, so we can expect government-level cooperation such as securing supplementary budgets. However, there are almost no pledges that mention Gyeongju directly," and emphasized, "In this situation, it is important to proactively develop strategies to turn potentially related projects into local pledges."

Mayor Joo identified several projects among the new government's pledges that Gyeongju can respond to, including the creation of a cultural tourism industry special zone, attracting a workation village, promoting one-night, two-day short-cut trips for office workers, supporting the remodeling of aging industrial complexes, considering the designation of special cities for areas at risk of population extinction, expanding the designation of crisis areas facing local extinction, establishing city landmarks, supporting market access for small and medium-sized enterprises, and fostering the tourism industry.

He stated, "These pledges can be sufficiently developed into local projects by linking them to Gyeongju's realities," and added, "Rather than simply demanding budgets, we must respond with clear logic and evidence as to 'why it should be Gyeongju.'"

He also said, "We will maintain close cooperation with the new government to ensure that ongoing projects such as the creation of the national SMR industrial complex, the restoration of the Silla royal capital, and the project to honor King Munmu continue without interruption."

Finally, Mayor Joo reiterated, "We must make sure that the launch of this government becomes an opportunity for Gyeongju to leap forward. If we miss this opportunity, Gyeongju could become a city known for nothing but APEC," and urged, "Each department must respond proactively with a sense of crisis."